When love for sports meets a passion for teaching

Jully Musangi (in red attire) in action during the Africa Taekwondo Championship staged in Kigali, Rwanda, in July 2022. 
 

Photo credit: Pool

What you need to know:

  •  Jully Musangi, 23, bagged her first gold medal in taekwondo at the Mount Everest International Open this year.


  •  Jully is the last-born child in a family of seven.


  •  Her taekwondo journey started just three years ago after she dropped netball for the martial art sport.

Jully Alungata Musangi is a rising netball-turned-taekwondo star. In September this year, she showed great potential by bagging first prize in the Mount Everest International Open Taekwondo Championship in Nepal. The 23-year-old won gold in the middleweight category.


How did you get into this sport? 
I was motivated to take up taekwondo by coach Jack Eliakim Otieno back in November 2019. I used to play netball in high school with my twin sister Faith Musangi before I transitioned to taekwondo. I loved taekwondo the moment I was introduced to it. 


So far, what is your biggest achievement?
Winning a medal in the just concluded Mount Everest International Championships in Nepal. It was my first time to win gold, and I was so happy and full of excitement. The feat has encouraged me to train harder in order to win in other big tournaments.


How hard was the transition from netball to taekwondo?
Moving from netball to taekwondo was difficult at first but with time I embraced it fully. Netball is more of handling the ball with hands and managing footwork, but with taekwondo I had to start from the basics such as learning how to kick. I have now made it my fulltime sport, although I sometimes play netball for fun. I train early in the morning and evening, and during the day I tend to my schoolwork. I started engaging in taekwondo during the Kenya University Sports Association (KUSA) games at Moi University in December 2019. Since then, my graph has been improving. I am now good enough to earn national team selection. Through training, I hope to continue improving and become the best athlete the country has ever produced.


What was your dream career?
Ever since I was a child, I dreamed of being a teacher. Taking part in sports motivated me to go for teaching so I could help other young people to realise their talents. My mum has been my greatest cheerleader. She raised me by herself and has supported me throughout my sporting career. She sometimes helps me raise funds to attend training sessions or to travel to competition venues.


Which challenges have you encountered so far?
Splitting my time between sports and academics has been a challenge, especially when I have exams and tournaments at the same time. In such cases, I make a choice that favours both academics and sports. I often choose to go to a tournament because those happen once in a while, and then I apply for special exams. which I sit for later. Another challenge is lack of enough funds. I sometimes have to pay to participate in competitions, and that can be expensive.


What’s the secret to your success?
Commitment and willingness to learn and be taught. That is the only way you can grow in sports. To succeed, you have to be persistent and consistent in training.


Who is your role model?
Kenyan Faith Ogallo inspires me a lot with her stellar performances. She always encourages me to keep training in order to achieve more not only in taekwondo but also in academics.  I hope I’ll one day be at the Olympics. 


 What’s your advice to fellow students who are not keen on sports?
I would like to encourage them to take sports as their second priority after education. Engaging in sports helps one to utilise their time well and avoid vices such as drug abuse since you get to spend most of your time in training. 


What are your plans for the future?
I want to help more ladies explore and grow their talents in martial arts. I am positive my career as a teacher will help me identify the hidden talents among girls and women, so that I can show them how to develop their talent.


What is your take on the rising number of doping cases?
Most athletes engage in doping because they have failed to train well.  Also, I think the media has played a part in the increased cases. When these cases are highlighted, an athlete realises that they can also take the illegal drugs and win competitions. They ignore the consequences of using such substances on their health. Athletes should be sensitised on the need to compete clean and avoid shortcuts. The side effects of the drugs used should also be clearly spelt out to discourage athletes. There is life after active sport and the best competitor is the one who concedes defeat.